Opera
Local News
February 12, 2026
The vote to demolish the Opera House was divisive for council, which arrived at a 3-3 tie that was ultimately broken by Mayor Scott Jerew’s vote. Pictured above, from front to back, Police Chief Jim Hill and council member Pat Morse weigh the decision while council member Reddy Brown, who is also a member of the Opera House committee, emotionally prepares for the inevitable vote to demolish the building his committee was formed to save. (Gazette photo by Kyle Meddles)

Opera House to be demolished

 

By Kyle Meddles, Richwood Gazette

In a sequence of drama only fitting for the opera, Richwood council’s vote to demolish the Opera House ended in a tie-breaking “yes” vote from the mayor, putting an end to years of discussion surrounding the fate of the 136-year-old building.

“It stings, and (Monday) it was more painful than today,” said Reddy Brown, who serves both on village council and the Opera House committee. “It’s not the sting of losing a cross country race…this is more a sting for all the folks in the community that do care about it.”

At the regular meeting of the village on Monday, council began voting on a motion to approve demolishing the Opera House after receiving a…

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